Lamp for lighting gas-bubeters



R. THOMPSON.

Lamp for Lighting Gas Burners.

No. 7,848, Patented Dec. 17, 1850.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBT. THOMPSON, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

LAMP FOR LIGHTING GAS-BURNERS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 7,848, dated December 17, 1850.

To all who/m, it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ROBERT THOMPSON, of Lowell, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new or Improve-dLamp for Lighting Gas-Burners in Factories; and I do hereby declare thatthe same is fully described and represented in the followingspecification and accompanying drawings, let-ters, figures, andreferences thereof.

Of said drawings Figure l, represents an external view of my improvedlamp. Fig. .2, is a vertical and central section of the same. Fig. 3, isa vertical and central section of a lantern made on my improved plan,and used for such purpose. Fig. 4, represents a transverse section ofthe lantern taken at right angles to that in Fig. 3. 4

In Fig. 9., of the drawings, A represents the oil reservoir of the lamp,B, the wick tube, and C, the wick. A long cylindrical tubs D, is made tosurround the wick, to rise above the same, and to be covered or closedat its top as seen in the drawings. In the lamp represented in Figs. land 2, this tube is made to shut over the oil reservoir, and to passdown into a cistern E, which is made to extend entirely around the oilreservoir, and is for the purpose of catching any superfluous oil whichmay by accident be thrown out from the oil reservoir.

The sides of the tube D, are perforated with numerous holes of aboutone-eighth of an inch in diameter, those around the immediate vicinityof the wick being made about a quarter of an inch apart from oneanother, while those above the flame, and which are simply for the exitof smoke, hot air, or the volatile products of combustion may bearranged at a greater distance asunder. Vhen the lamp is lighted, andthe external surface of that part of the tube D, which immediatelysurrounds the flame of the wick is brought in contact with the stream ofgas proceeding from a gas burner, the gas will be lighted or set fire toas readily, or with about the same facility as 1t would were it exposeddirectly to the flame without the intervention of the protector or tubeD. The object of t-he protector is to prevent the contact of lightfilaments of cotton, or cotton waste with the flame of the lamp.

So dangerous is the use of lamps in factories when uncovered bytransparent shades, that their use is generally prohibited in the cottonfactories of this place and elsewhere. It is there-fore in order toprevent the flame from coming in contact with the cotton that I havesurrounded it with a protector as above described.

Another form of a protector is represented in Figs. 3 and 4, as appliedto a lantern, and on the exterio-r of the flame. The oil reservoirwithin the lantern or chamber G, is shown at H, the wick tube being seenat I, and the wick at K, the wick tube being made to project from theside of the oil reservoir, and directly over the protector which is seenat L.

The protector L, rises above the bottom of the lantern, is open atbottom, closed at top, and has its sides perforated with holes as seenin the drawings, which holes are about an eighth of an inch in diameter,and situated about a quarter of an inch apart. A plate of mica or othertransparent equivalent may be inserted in one or more sides of thelantern in the ordinary manner, for the purpose of allowing thediffusion of the rays of light.

wWhen the lantern is to be used for the purpose of lighting a gas lamp,the lamp of the lante-rn being supposed to be lighted, the lantern isplaced directly over the gas burner, so that the gas may pass up throughthe perforated sides of the protector, and come in contact with theflame. Vhen this is done the gas issuing from the burner will belighted.

I am aware that Sir Humphrey Davy surrounded theexternal flame with oneor more cases or layers of wire gauze, the meshes of which were so smallas to prevent the explosion of gas coming in contact with the outersurface of the gauze. The object of such fine wire gauze was tointerpose between the flame and the gaseous atmosphere a material whichfrom its nature was an excellent conductor and radiator of heat,.

tissue therefore when of the requisite in that state immersed into anexplosive.

gaseous mixture, it will be inadequate for its inflammation, that partonly Within the cage being burned; communication to the inflamable airWithout being prevented by the cooling power of the metallic tissue. Itis a Well known fact that the safety of the miners safety lamp, entirelydepends upon the perfect state of the Wire gauze, and upon thenon-existence of any aperture or channel sufficiently large to admit ofthe passage of flame. lVhereas by myr factory lamp the very reverse isthe case, as the object of said lamp is to explode or infiame the gasbeitween which and the flame the protector is arranged. The particularobject of the protector' being to protect the flame, and sparksproceeding therefrom, from cotton Waste, or light fibrous filament-sWhich are so common in factories, and constantly liable to be inflamed.I therefore do not claim the mere surrounding the fiame of a lamp Withfine Wire gauze, or by a perforated material such as Will prevent thepassage of the ame through it, and the inflammation or explosion ofsurrounding gas. But

lVhat I claim as my invention is- The protector, as made and applied tothe lamp, and so as not only to be capable of exploding orinflaming thegas brought into contact with it, substantially as specified, but ofprotecting fibrous matters which may come in contact with the protector,from direct exposure to the ame.

In testimony whereof I have hereto set my signature this twenty-seventhday of September A. D. 1850.

l ROBERT' THOMPSON. Y. Vitnesses:

ITHAMAR W. BEARD, PATRICK OSULLIVAN.

